Nevermore
by Harli Rey
Summary: DISCONTINUED Edward Elric's been missing for three days, until he is found.. Dead. But a few days after, Al finds Ed at a crime scene worthy of a death sentence- and it seems that Ed was the criminal. Is there a more sinister truth hidden beneath the blanket of lies and corruption? No yaoi, romance, or zombies. Rated for language, violence and gore. WARNING: Some character deaths.
1. Fate

**A/N: This is my first fanfic! It might not be that good, so please bear with me while I get used to writing, and hopefully come up with better ideas.. *-* ALSO- Chapters 1&2 are unedited. I didn't have Dylexa as a beta until after chap 2. So, please excuse the roughness of the first two chapters, there's a significant improvement starting at chapter 3!**_  
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**I'm also looking for a beta reader. If your interested, please either PM me or write in a review! I need a beta who will be able to get online often and can edit any typos for me, and possibly add in/contribute ideas for this. **

**WARNING;; I do not intend for a happy ending with this fic. It will probably be kinda sad to some, infuriating to others, and just plain awesome to a few. SO, now that you know this, we can get on with the fic. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, it would be a much more depressing series than it already is.**

* * *

_"Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'"_

_~The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe_

Al buried his face in the palms of his hands. He did not cry; Brother would not want him to shed tears over something like this. But that did not stop the painful tearing that his heart inflicted upon his body with each rapid beat.

"How can.. Colonel, why..?" Al whispered, falling to his knees next to the limp body before him.

Colonel Roy Mustang shook his head, his own fists clenched in grief and rage at who did this. He had no answer for the kid; He could not even imagine the torment and confusion in his mind, the feeling of loss and betrayal. The only thing he could think to do was put his hand on Al's shoulder and squeeze slightly. "Come on, Al. We need to get going. The military is going to take his body for us. You need to get some rest." Roy said, gazing down at the younger Elric with charcoal-colored eyes.

Al looked up at the colonel. "Leave him?" He whispered, horror in his eyes. "You can't make me leave, I won't leave him..!" He inched closer to the body, turning away from Roy and pulling his shoulder from his grasp. Roy sighed, misery causing his chest to contract painfully. He would not pry Alphonse Elric from the body, for he would not be able to do it. He just didn't have the heart.

Rain continued to pour down upon the three, further adding to the depressed feeling. Blood stained the water around the body a light crimson color as it cascaded over the grass. The horrible wounds that marred the tan skin of the body gleamed solemnly in the pale light of the street lamps. Small cuts and bruises were scattered throughout the visible portions of his body, including that beneath the rips in his dark black shirt and leather jeans. He only had his two limbs, as the two artificial automail ones had been ripped out, leaving the ports smashed and dented. His eyes were closed lightly as though whoever left him here only a mere hour before had the decency to close them.

For before them lay a cloned copy of the captured Edward Elric.

* * *

Ed woke up from his unconscious state groggily. A low throbbing in his head told him that he had been forcefully knocked out with a hard object. When he tried to lift his hand, he found that his wrists were tied behind his back in such a way that would prevent him from clapping his hands together and performing alchemy. A steel rod held his wrists away from eachother. "Bastard.." He muttered, blinking so he could get his thoughts organized. Memories jumbled back together, causing pain lancing through his head. Oh yeah; He had been fucking kidnapped.

He let out a slight groan as he tilted his head back and looked at the grimy ceiling of the basement. It was wooden, with cobwebs making a net of the many corners, and some rotting boards sent water dripping down occasionally. The walls were brick and stained with something dark and slightly red. He had a feeling that he knew what it is. The ground was solid concrete, and his back ached from being propped against the brick wall for a while.

Ed lifted his head as he heard footsteps on the creaky wooden ceiling. The sound of something heavy being placed on the ground shook the wood, and the heavy footsteps sounded near the stairs. He narrowed his eyes, wanting to see his kidnapper. Probably some bigshot who wanted to brag to his little prison buddies that he had kidnapped the infamous Fullmetal Alchemist. He could understand that, in some way; although he did not remember how he was kidnapped, it must have been either one hell of a fight or he had caught him with his guard down.

The man stomped down the stairs; He wore a pristine white lab coat with a bunch of pens sticking up from a pocket on his chest. He wore a face mask, as though he were about to take a patient into surgery. Several hypodermic needles stuck out from another pocket.

The tall man strode towards Ed, eyes gleaming. "Fullmetal Alchemist," He said in a sickeningly smooth voice. One that you would not expect to hear from your kidnapper. Naturally, you would think of some weird psycho whose brain held about the IQ of a dormouse. However, this man seemed smart. Maybe even an alchemist.

"You're friends now believe you are dead. The fake body I created, using your DNA and blood of course, made them believe that you were murdered. Don't expect them to come looking for you." The man said with a smirk. _He made a fake body with my blood? Now that's just playing unfair. _Ed narrowed his eyes. "They'll look for my murderer, won't they? I'm sure they won't just drop it." He pointed out, and then paused. "Well, maybe Colonel Bastard will. But Alphonse wouldn't give up."_ Alphonse! He won't take this well.. _Ed instantly felt bad for Al. His brother would think he was dead.. It would crush him, just as it would crush Ed to find that Al was dead. The mere thought caused him to shudder ever so slightly.

The man chuckled. Ed whipped his head up to face him, despite the throb in his head with the fast movement. "What are you laughing at?" He growled. He was getting tired of this stupid game.

The man looked at Ed. "Oh, it's nothing." He said, leaning forwards towards the golden-eyed child prodigy. Ed glared at him, carefully trying to finish the transmutation circle on the brick wall behind him. But the man pulled out one of the hypodermics and injected its contents into Ed's shoulder, and he was instantly knocked out just as he finished the circle.

* * *

Riza Hawkeye took a sip ofher coffee. Outside, the rain poured steadily, blocking out the sunrise. It was about 5 am. She looked back down at her newspaper, reading the headlines. She knew most of the military news, but the economical and city news were sometimes interesting. Besides, reading is better than just sitting there and staring out the window, right?

Riza paid the waitress and strode out into the rain, walking the short block to her apartment. She didn't mind the rain, really, since it was just water. She'd dry off in her apartment, no big deal. After about five minutes of walking, Riza pushed open the door to the lobby, then plodded up the stairs. She was on the third floor, so by the time she got to her door, most of the water had dripped off.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by Black Hayate. "Hello boy," She smiled, patting his head. He looked up at her with a big doggy smile, tongue lolling out the side of his jaws. Riza laughed slightly at the weird sight, and then closed the door. _Home sweet home._

Riza was home for about ten minutes, getting ready for work, when the phone rang. Walking over to it, she picked it up. "Hello?" She said into it, waiting for a reply.

"_Riza?" _It was Colonel Mustang.

"Colonel," Riza said, blinking once. He sounded really upset. "What's wrong?"

"_You'll find out soon enough," _He replied. His voice sounded somewhat quiet. _"Can you pick up me and Alphonse? We're near the military warehouses, by the small fields." _Roy said.

Riza wanted to ask what he and Alphonse were doing there. But he sounded pretty shaken up. She would ask once she gets there. "Yeah, sure, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." With that, she hung up the phone and walked out the door again, saying goodbye to Black Hayate.

The drive was uneventful, and when she pulled over next to the field Mustang had specified, she saw them both leaning over something. A cold weight seemed to drop from her heart into the pit of her stomach as she realized what it was; A body. It was small, a child's body, but through the haze of rain all she could see was a limp form. The young alchemist Edward Elric had been missing for three days.. Could that be the Fullmetal Alchemist there, on the ground?

Riza opened the car door and slipped out and into the rain. She closed the door, and then began walking towards the two. Her suspicions were affirmed as she walked closer. She could see the golden hair, the gleaming, mangled port on his shoulder. And.. The blood. It was everywhere. It was obvious that the kid had been tortured then murdered. His face was sickly pale, almost translucent, a harsh contrast to the normally tan skin. There were so many cuts and bruises littering his body.

The police arrived just after Riza did, and they carefully ushered her away. They talked to Roy and Al, and they eventually got up and followed Riza into the car. The police pulled Ed's body into a black body bag, zipped it closed, then carried it into an awaiting car. Riza pulled the car out onto the road, glancing at Al in the rearview mirror. She expected to see tears streaming down his face, but what she was much worse.

His eyes held emptiness, hardly any emotion as he gazed out the window. He sat completely still, aside from the slightest rise and fall of his chest. His gaze did not move from the window as Riza pressed the gas and headed down the road. He just stared out into the rain. Riza kept quiet, knowing nothing she could say would help the youngest Elric. The only Elric.

Roy was obviously not doing too good, either. Although him and Ed fought on a daily basis, Roy seemed to have grown quite fond of the young Alchemist. Riza mentally flinched when she realized that they would no longer hear Ed's loud mouth from all the way down the hall, nor how he would make a grand entrance every time he walked into the office, kicking the doors open and yelling, "You called, Colonel Bastard?" and then throw a fit after Roy smirks and calls him short or accuses him of being five minutes late. There would be no more of that.

Ed couldn't be dead. He is too stubborn to die in such a stupid and common way. Ed would make a huge scene if he were about to die, but he had just disappeared. There had to have been at least one building destroyed for Ed to have been killed.

But the body was there. Mangled and pale, it was obviously Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. There was no denying that the golden eyed teen was dead.

_ Sometimes there is a lie hidden beneath the truth._

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW! I beg you.. XD**

**I need to know if this is any good and if I should keep going. So, if you'd like to know what happens to Ed and company, you should review and tell me to get my butt up and start writing more. **

**Again, also looking for beta readers. Information on first A/N!**


	2. Efficiency

**A/N- Update already!? Yes, I'm being nice to you guys.. Please review! :'D**

**Sorry about the un-organized-ness of the last chapter. This site was being a butthead and wouldn't save for me. -.-**

**This is a kinda short and action-less chapter, but I assure you, the next one is going to be FULL of action and kick-butt awesomeness.**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This would not be a fanfiction if I did.**

* * *

Ed's vision swam with distorted images. He had woken several times, but only for a few seconds, and it could hardly be called 'awake'. Something had been done to him.. But he didn't know what. He was not fully conscious enough to recognize what was being done, but he did know that whatever it was, it was wrong.

He woke up, officially, sometime later. Ed didn't know how much later, for how would he have been able to tell? His wrists were shackled back by metal cuffs against the wall, but his legs were free in front of him. Vaguely, he wondered where he was, what had happened to him.

That's when Ed saw someone. They were seated at a desk across the room, writing something down. The Fullmetal Alchemist blinked drowsily, still somewhat lulled by the drugs that had knocked him out. Scooting backwards, he straightened his back against the wall and lifted his chin. Might as well have some kind of dignity.

"Hey," Ed called, blinking his golden eyes so his vision would be clearer. At the moment, it was pretty blurry. He could see the guy turn, put down his pen, then stride over to him. Ed glared at him with distrust, but not hostility. This guy seemed suspicious, but right now, he could not remember anyone, so this man was either a friend or a foe.

The man took a knee next to Ed so he could look him in the eyes. "Hey kid," He replied, looking at the young blonde, watching closely to his every reaction.

Ed was a bit creeped out by his intense stare, but nonetheless stared back. Show no weakness. "Who are you?" He mumbled, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The man smiled. "Doctor Rey Pierson. I saved your life."

Ed raised a brow. He didn't trust this 'Doctor' guy.

"How did you save my life? What almost killed me?" Ed growled back, gaze flickering past the guy to the wall behind him. This man was up to something.. And he was going to find out what it was.

"The military tried to kill you. They shot you a few times, but fortunately, I got to you in time and healed you." The Doctor let out a low sigh, face turning grim. "But.. They killed your brother, Alphonse. I'm sorry." He bowed his head.

Ed's eyes widened. At the mention of Al's name, he remembered his younger brother. "Al-Alphonse is dead?" He whispered, eyes growing wide. He clenched both fists, automail groaning under the pressure. Ed let his head fall, bangs covering his face, concealing it in shadows. "Who did it..?" He whispered, arms trembling from being so tense. The Doctor grinned. This was exactly the reaction he wanted from the young alchemist.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending to be serious. "The government. Mainly the Fuhrer Grumman and Brigadier General Mustang. As well as Mustang's team." He said. "Do you plan on getting revenge?" The Doctor added, watching the Fullmetal Alchemist carefully. If he got his desired reaction...

Ed tilted his head up ever so slightly. His voice came out as a growl. "Of course. But I will talk to them first. I won't kill them.." He said.

_Dammit!_ The Doctor cursed mentally. He wanted the kid to kill them on his own accord.. But obviously, that wasn't going to happen. He'd have to activate his little 'contraption', as one might say. Although it wasn't a complete loss; He wanted to know if it would work. It would be interesting to find out if the device he worked so hard on would actually do its job, to turn Edward Elric into the killer he was supposed to be.

Before Ed could realize, the Doctor injected him with another sedative, and he was pulled into the dark recesses of a drug-induced sleep.

* * *

Riza had dropped off Roy at his house and Al at his hotel. Al ascended the steps, gaze fixed forwards, still unmoving. The same sentence replayed in his head- _Ed was killed. Ed was killed. Ed was killed. _He couldn't convince himself that it was true. It just didn't feel like he was dead. Sure, he wasn't by his side right now, but Ed was often missing and would come back just okay. Maybe a few injuries, but in the end, he'd always be okay, by some kind of miracle. Where was that miracle now? It can't have just abandoned them. It was there, he just had to look for it. Even if he was the only one.

In his room, Al lay down on the the bed, facing the ceiling. He didn't really care that his boots were dripping cold water on the pristine sheets; He had more important things to worry about. The ceiling was empty, providing no answers the the hurricane of questions in the young alchemist's mind. One in particular stood out among the rest. _Should I bring him back with human transmutation? _Al cringed. _No! The consequences for that are too dire.. But I can deal with being in a suit of armor again if it means that I can get brother back. _The idea was tempting, but he knew it was wrong. _..No. Brother would hate me if he was brought back through human transmutation. _

Al let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. "Brother, what are you hiding?" He murmured softly, voice barely audible. The rain battered the window relentlessly, the dark clouds concealing the morning sun from view. The sounds were muffled, as though coming from a different dimension. Even though Al's eyes were closed, he did not fall asleep, nor would he for a long time.

* * *

_Kill._

_Kill._

_Kill._

Ed's eyes opened slowly, deliberately. The same word repeated itself over and over in his confused mind. _Kill. _He could see the Doctor watching him from across the room. Everything was black and white. Strange lines flickered across his vision, glowing red, some supporting words. _Analyzing Target..._ A couple seconds later, the image flickered, and the lines went green, and _Not Threat _replaced the previous 'analyzing target'. Several other numbers flickered, some saying how far away the Doctor was in meters, what cardinal direction Ed was facing, the height of the Doctor, and even the temperature in fahrenheit. [A/N- if you don't know what I mean, his eyes now work almost like 'spy goggles', where they read off information. Sorry if you don't know what I mean, I'm not exactly sure how to explain it *-*]

The Doctor walked towards him. "Hello, Ed. How are you feeling?" He asked, eyes shining with morbid curiosity. Ed blinked. "Fine." He replied. The Doctor grinned even more. Good sign that he wasn't cursing him out by now, since that's what he usually did when the Doctor asked him how he was. "Alright, good. I'm going to show you a picture. Remember, it's only a picture, alright?" The Doctor said, watching Ed carefully. The alchemist nodded. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead." He replied easily.

The Doctor pulled out a picture of Fuhrer Grumman. Ed gazed at it for a moment, narrowing his eyes. He watched at his eyes analyzed the target; Then everything blinked bright red, and it read _Target Acquired. Commence attack._ Ed's golden gaze turned a dark shade of copper, and a barely noticeable flash of red swept across his irises. His face turned devoid of emotion. "_Kill."_ He whispered, straining against the metal cuffs and snapping them with his metal arm. He reached across his chest, breaking the other cuff, the stood, staggering slightly. He narrowed his eyes, and in one swift movement, Ed had taken the picture from the Doctor's grasp and ripped it clean in half. He spread his arms, the one half of the picture in each hand, then dropped them to the floor.

Ed lost his emotionless look, and his gaze turned to its normal gold as his arms dropped back to his side. The Doctor grinned. It had worked _flawlessly. _All that was left to do was tell Ed where to go, and he'd do it. The chip he had implanted in the back of the kid's head, the one that changed his vision and made him an emotionless cold-blooded killer, also allowed the Doctor to control him just enough to give him orders. It would be so easy to take out the military with a kid like this within his control.. Sure, he wasn't some all-powerful god who can destroy anything in his path. But he had connections with so many military officials, and the Doctor knew that they wouldn't kill him if they thought they didn't need to. And besides, the kid was so small and fast, it was unlikely he'd even be caught in the first place.

Ed leaned back against the wall, eyeing the Doctor skeptically. "Alright, so now that we've got that over with, what are you going to do next?" He asked, crossing his arms.

The Doctor stared back. "Well, you're going to train a little bit more before I let you go out. I need to make sure you know who to attack and when to pull back if necessary. We can't mess this up." he said.

Ed nodded, understanding. "Yeah, yeah. Not that I need the training, of course." he scoffed.

The Doctor smirked back at him. "Nah, you really don't, but it wouldn't hurt anyone to train a little bit." he shrugged. Well, in reality, it would hurt his opponents dearly. But that didn't matter. They were supposed to get hurt.

The Doctor leaned back and pulled out a hypodermic. Ed flinched; He had never really gotten over his fear of needles. The Doctor looked at him, and with a huff, Ed looked away while the Doctor injected the needle's contents. "You need some more sleep. The chip uses up a lot of your energy, so you'll be sleeping quite a lot. You'll need all the energy you can get once you start killing.." The Doctor's voice faded out as Ed slumped to the ground, lulled to sleep by drugs once again.

_-Three Days Later-_

The training couldn't have gone better. Ed took out the cardboard replicas of his enemies with complete ease; Not that it should have been any other way. The Doctor tested him by pulling out a gun at him from time to time randomly, and Ed knew exactly what to do; Take cover or get out. Getting seen could mean disaster. They would know Ed was alive, and be on the lookout for him. But the Doctor came up with a 'clever' idea of giving Ed a mask; A black and gold mash that was low enough on his forehead to allow his bangs to fall naturally to the sides of his face, but also low enough so it covered his chin. There was 5 vertical slits near his mouth to allow him to speak and breathe. It was perfect; Not only was it efficient, but it was also menacing and intimidating.

Ed was currently walking down the street towards Central Command, his red coat billowing behind him as his heavy boots thudded against the ground. His hood was pulled above his head, concealing his masked face in shadows. His black and white vision detected some people in their houses, and animals in the alleyways. Anything living was either colored green or red, and so far, everyone was green.

He stopped in front of Central Command gazing at the building. He narrowed his eyes, looking past the building's walls, directly into the place. He saw a few green people, but not who he was looking for. Oh well; He wasn't just going to turn back now. He'd wait in the building, and attack once his target was there, alone.

Ed climbed the fence, pushing off the railing and flipping midair, landing on the grassy ground in a crouch. He straightened up and walked forwards, finding the security cameras via enhanced vision, and walking out of their range. He climbed the wall, using any footholds he could, and swung into the window, smashing it. Once inside, he clapped his hands together, fixing the window, then stood up straight.

The Fullmetal Alchemist plucked the cover off the air vent, crawled into it, then closed it. He pulled himself forwards, then finding he'd have to wait for his target to return, he let himself fall asleep.

Fuhrer Grumman didn't stand a chance.

* * *

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Tell me what you think. What are your ideas on what should happen? Will Ed actually kill the Fuhrer? Will someone stop him in time? Will he realize what's going on? Tell me what you think!**


	3. First Move

**Thanks SO much to Dylexa for her super amazing beta badass-ary-ness. Without her, this story would probably make much less sense than it already does. Make sure you thank her in your reviews! ;]**

**SPEAKING OF REVIEWS- I won't to continue this if nobody replies and tells me what they think! Even if it's just a simple- "Oh nice story bro, keep it up C:" it helps ALOT motivation-wise!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

* * *

The sun's morning glow sent rays of light cascading through the curtains and onto the floor next to it. The only clouds were puffy and white, drifting lazily due to the wind, or lack thereof. On the streets below, there were already people walking swiftly towards their destinations, hoping to get to their work for an early start to the day. Even a few cars drove past on Central's streets.

Alphonse slipped out of bed and walked to the window, gazing out into Central with a shaky sigh._Even when someone dies, nothing changes. _The blissful ignorance that made up life was cruel. It didn't matter who was dead; Even when someone like Edward Elric, his own brother, who was so stubborn he could rival a bull, so determined that he wouldn't stop until he reached his goal, so strong he could destroy a deemed immortal homunculus; even when someone like that dies, life just keeps going on, not stopping to wait for anyone. It was horribly cruel.

The young alchemist turned away from the window and got dressed. _I'm going to Central Command... I need to help find out who Ed's murderer is. I can't just sit around and feel sorry for Ed and myself. Brother would hate that! _Alphonse thought, walking out of his hotel room. He made sure it was locked, and then turned down the hall. He trotted lightly down the stairs and into the lobby, and then walked through the front doors with swift, sweeping strides.

Alphonse got to Central Command pretty fast, but he had to negotiate with the guards a little bit before they let him in. Ed would have normally been there to tell the guard's to let him in. But when Alphonse explained that Ed had been murdered and that he needed to help with the search, the guards gave in and opened the gates for him.

The place was as busy as usual, but Alphonse had no trouble getting to Colonel Mustang's office. He pushed through the doors, and then strode inside, letting the doors close behind him.

"Colonel, I want to help with the search!" he announced, then bit his lip anxiously.

Did he sound too demanding?

No. Ed would not have asked, just stated that he would be helping. Alphonse let himself relax a little bit, knowing that small bit of information.

Colonel Mustang looked up. "Yes, of course, Alphonse. But just know that some parts of this might be dangerous." He turned back to his paperwork.

Alphonse blinked. It was that easy? All he had to do was ask? Well, that made things a little better. It saved the effort of arguing when they needed to focus solely on finding Ed's killer.

He snapped out of his confusion and walked over to the Colonel.

"Tell me what I can do."

* * *

Ed opened his eyes slowly, waking up from his sleep.

"Mhmm…" he grumbled, letting his forehead fall to the metal of the air vent. He didn't want to wake up just yet. But he had to; he was supposed to kill the Fuhrer. He had to get started.

Ed let his vision scan the parts of the building below him. _Scanning…_ Ed waited a moment, then all of the people stayed green. _Scanning Complete._ Ed turned so he faced upward, then let his eyes scan that part. Scanning… A pause. Target Acquired. Commence Attack.

Ed smirked. "Bingo."

He stealthily crept through the air vents, careful to keep his boots from banging against the metal. He couldn't have anyone hear him. Up ahead, he saw a vent leading up, and he figured that this was where he could ascend to the next level of the building. He scooted towards it, and then clapped his hands together and pressed them to the metal. The familiar blue lights flashed, and then there was small dents spaced in just a way that allowed Ed to climb up it.

After he got up, he transmuted the metal back to normal, and then sat back. He let his gaze scan the place again, and the red haze that showed the form of Fuhrer Grumman surrounded by several green hazes signaled that he was now on the same level. Ed smirked beneath the mask, and then continued forwards so he could find a way out of the air vents and get to the Fuhrer.

Up ahead, Ed found what he was looking for, an opening from the vent to the hallway. A quick scan told him that there was nobody in this hall at the moment, so he kicked open the frame guarding the vents and slipped out silently. Glancing quickly in each direction, Ed quickly ran down the hall and stopped in front of the massive oak doors that guarded the room where the Fuhrer currently resided. He narrowed his eyes, letting his vision turn the walls in front of him transparent. He noted that there was a total of eight guards in the room as well, all armed with what looked like shotguns. Should be no problem; All Ed would have to do was transmute a wall to guard him from the bullets, and then kill them.

Ed's eyes flashed once. _Commence Attack._ He stepped forwards and pushed through the door. All eyes turned to him.

"Hey, kid, this area is off lim-"one guard started, but didn't have time to finish. Ed was next to him in a second, automail already transmuted into a knife. It was straight through his heart.

Ed pulled back and kicked the guard off his blade, then clapped his hands and slammed his palms to the ground, transmuting a wall just as a barrage of bullets was sent towards him. Thinking fast, Ed clapped his hands together one more time, and put up a wall in front of the door, preventing the Fuhrer from leaving. He could hear shouts, and Ed knew he'd have to speed things up a bit. He transmuted walls around each soldier, using the ground below them as material, sending them falling down into the level below them. Ed stood up and brushed off his red coat, then turned to Grumman.

The Fuhrer had his sword out, ready to fight. "Don't think that because I'm no youngster that I can't fight." He grinned, eyes twinkling with determination. He wasn't ready to give up his position just yet!

Ed's face held no expression beneath his mask. Instead, his eyes flashed red, signaling that he had his target sighted. He lurched forwards, swiftly clearing the distance between him and the Fuhrer.

There was a loud metallic clang as Ed's knife met with the Fuhrer's sword, but the golden-eyed alchemist still held the advantage. He used his blade to push aside the sword, then leaped forwards with his free hand. His palm collided with the Fuhrer's forehead, sending him sprawling backwards with Ed still holding onto his head. Ed slammed the Fuhrer's head against the ground and held him there. The older man tried to reach his sword that rested a few feet away, knocked out of his hand by Ed's automail. Seeing no way to get to his sword, Grumman looked up at his attacker.

"I know it's you, Fullmetal Alchemist. Why are you doing this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. It wasn't hard to figure out the kid's identity; Automail arm and probably leg as well, the way he was able to transmute without a circle, and his height, of course.

Ed's eyes gleamed. "I have my orders, and it's my job to obey."

He raised his blade. Grumman tried to get away, but Ed had him pinned. The blade flashed in the sunlight before it was brought down, piercing straight through Grumman's neck in an explosion of blood. Ed stood up, gazing down at his work. The red aura that was Grumman turned white.

_Target annihilated._

Ed turned away, clapped his hands together, and transmuted his automail back to normal. He ran to the window and stood in the sill, facing outside. He looked over his shoulder as he saw the wall he made being transmuted back, then the doors banging open loudly. In the center stood what looked like a young teen, no older than 15. His aura was green. Ed turned away quickly and jumped out the window, but he knew he had a strong connection with whoever that was.

No matter; As long as the kid didn't know who he was, it was fine.

As soon as Ed landed on the ground in a crouch, he transmuted a tunnel, jumped inside, and sealed it over. Right now, he was extremely tired…if he really wanted, he could've just curled up right here and fallen asleep. But Central would be searching all over, and he wasn't safe here. He'd just killed their leader.

* * *

Al looked up swiftly as he heard a loud _boom_. "Colonel, what was that?"

Mustang had heard it too, and he stood up quickly. "Alphonse, stay here! Lieutenants Hawkeye and Havoc, come with me!" He ordered, running to the door.

Hawkeye and Havoc both nodded. "Sir!" They followed him, one on each side.

Alphonse jumped up. "I'm not staying here."

Breda and Fuery started after him.

"Wait!" Fuery yelped, but Breda pulled him back.

"Na, let him go... it would be hell trying to keep him here. Besides, he _is_ Ed's brother. He knows what he's doing."

Fuery still looked unhappy. He sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

Alphonse ran up to Mustang and put on his best 'I'm-Ed-and-you-can't-leave-me-out-of-this' look.

Mustang glared at him. "I told you to stay back!"

"I'm not going to just sit around while something's happening to Central!" Alphonse retorted stubbornly.

Mustang sighed loudly. "Fine! Just don't get yourself killed!"

Alphonse grinned. "Thanks Colonel!" He sounded much like himself than Ed this time.

They continued down the hall and up the stairs, and then came across the Fuhrer's office.

"Oh no," Mustang hissed, pushing aside the soldiers who were pounding on the door. There were muffled voices within the room, only for a moment. Mustang slammed himself into the door, trying to bust his way through, but they didn't budge. "Something's blocking it," he stated, stepping back. "Alphonse! Make yourself useful and get rid of whatever's blocking this door!"

Alphonse blinked, and then nodded. "Right!" He clapped his hands together, and then pressed his palms against the door. Blue electricity flickered over the doorway, and the soldiers all took a step back. The electricity faded away and Al leaned back and kicked the doors open.

The place was a wreck. There were patches of flooring missing, walls thrown around at awkward angles and shapes, papers strewn across the floor. There were two bodies, covered in blood, but Al wasn't paying attention to that. He couldn't take his eyes off the figure in the windowsill, whose back was facing them, but head turned to look over his left shoulder. His form was silhouetted against the morning sun, but it was obvious he was wearing a long coat and heavy boots. He had a hood drawn up as well. But his eyes. Those deep golden irises hidden beneath the mask gleamed with no emotion whatsoever.

The figure then turned and jumped.

Al ran to the window, eyes wide with horror. He knew exactly who that was, after seeing those golden eyes. But when he looked out the window, Brother was gone, all traces of him being there gone.

All except the fading blue electricity from a transmutation that flickered over the ground below.

* * *

**Well? What did you think? Tell me in your reviews! PLEASE! *soblaugh***


	4. Partial Truth

**A/U- Finally, an update! Don't worry guys, I haven't forgotten about this just yet. Although this chapter is a little slow, I did spice it up a little bit near the end with some humor, so it's not all sadness and death! Woohoo! [That, and this chapter is over 1100 words longer than any other chapters yet!]**

**If you have any suggestions, please post it in a review! I love suggestions, and I will do my best to incorporate your ideas into my writing.**

**ALSO- I am still looking for another beta reader! Dylexa is a really awesome beta, but hey, I think two opinions are better than one, right? So, if you are interested in becoming a beta reader for Nevermore, either PM me or write in a review. [by the way- a beta reader is someone who reads the chapters before they are published, and they edit out grammatical errors and often contribute ideas for the story line. They help out immensely!]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. We all know a certain lovely cow owns Fullmetal.. *bows down to the almighty Hiromu Arakawa***

* * *

Troops of soldiers were sent in all directions of Central, blocking any means of leaving. The city was under lockdown; nobody was allowed to enter or leave Central. The normally bustling and lively streets were now tense with a ghostly silence. It seemed that even the stray dogs knew to keep their muzzles shut.

Everyone knew about the death of Fuhrer Grumman. The cheerful old man that still had a strong ambition despite his age, who refused to let such a stereotypical trait affect who he was, was dead. He had been murdered in cold blood, and the assassin himself had left no trace. No fingerprints, no survivors, nothing. He knew what he was doing.

Only one person had seen the assassin. But his claims of the identity of said person were impossible, for that person was dead. They had his body.

"Colonel Mustang, just listen to me! I saw him! It was Brother! He was standing in the windowsill, then he jumped!" Alphonse persisted, eyes wide with distress. He'd been telling everyone he could that he had seen Ed, but nobody listened. They just gave him sympathetic looks and gently told him that Ed was dead.

Alphonse knew his brother when he saw him. He knew that his brother wasn't dead, that it was impossible; Ed would never let himself be killed. He was just too stubborn for that. He'd make a deal with the Truth to come back. He'd lose another limb, an organ, anything if it meant keeping his little brother happy.

Colonel Mustang looked at him. It was clear he was getting fed up with this. "Al, how many times do we have to tell you? Fullmetal was killed. It wasn't him that you saw, if you saw anyone. And nobody could have just vanished after jumping out of a seventh-story window. It's just not possible." He growled, turning back to his overwhelmingly large amount of paperwork.

Alphonse turned away. Was it true? That he hadn't seen anyone? Was he just going insane because his brother was killed? Was his mind rejecting the very thought? Alphonse was losing faith in himself; nobody believed him. He was even starting to doubt himself now.

No. He _had _seen Ed. He'd seen the silhouette, framed ominously against the sun. The heavy boots, the long coat, and, yes, even his shortness. His head tilted slightly, looking over his shoulder, golden eyes staring back at him with no emotion whatsoever. Then he turned, jumped off the windowsill, coat spreading out around him as he disappeared from view. Then the blue electricity flickering over the ground directly below, signaling that a transmutation had just closed the earth over him.

Alphonse's determination to prove that Ed was alive returned to him, and he needed to find his brother.

He had quite a few questions for him.

* * *

Ed returned to the basement that he now called home. His movements were sluggish, filled with exhaustion. He climbed out of the tunnel, clapped his hands together, and placed his palms on the ground next to the entrance. The tunnel flickered with blue light, and in the next moment, it was completely sealed.

He got up and staggered over to his bed, then let himself fall face-first onto the pillow.

"_Unghh._" He groaned, rolling the rest of himself onto the mattress. His eyes closed drowsily. Lazily, he just remembered to take off his mask, so he slapped a hand over it and pulled it off, then put it on the floor. He rolled over so he faced the wall, letting out a content sigh that he could _finally_ just go to slee-

"Ed, you're back! Did you kill the Fuhrer?" the Doctor rushed over to Ed, leaning over him curiously.

Ed groaned. "Go away, I wanna sleep..." His words were slightly slurred as though he was already unconscious with sleep.

The Doctor pouted. "Just answer me. Yes or no?"

"Yes! I did! Now go the fuck away!" Ed buried his head farther in the pillow, and his breathing slowed and steadied, signaling that he fell asleep.

The Doctor grinned. "Wonderful! It should put that cursed military into complete chaos. Then, we'll kill the next Fuhrer, and the next, until it crumbles. Finally, I'll be the one to bring Amestris back to its glory by taking the rank of Fuhrer, and anyone that opposes me will be slaughtered. It's so simple, and yet, so effective."

The Doctor stopped talking, realizing that Ed was asleep and he was talking to himself. He turned away and walked upstairs, knowing that the military would be coming to check everyone's houses.

Once upstairs, he closed the door and locked it, and pushed a bookcase in front of it. He looked at his work, making sure it was impossible to see a door behind it, and then checked around his house, looking for any signs of his experiments. He saw none.

Finally, to pass the time, he pulled out a novel and began to read.

* * *

Ed's dreams confused him deeply. Once again, he saw that kid from Central Command, the one he had seen just before he jumped from the building. He was walking away from him.

_"I'll be back soon, Al. Colonel Bastard's calling me for another one of his meetings." Ed scoffed, wrinkling his nose in distaste._

_Al smiled. "Okay. Don't get into any fights with him!" _

_Ed flicked his left wrist. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. I'll kick his ass before he even realizes it. No problem!" He kept walking, hearing his brother giggle behind him, and the door to their hotel room close. Ed walked with his hands in his pockets, bottom jaw slightly forward and head tilted up a bit. He tried to make himself look taller, as usual, but his efforts were in vain because it hardly put a fraction of an inch on his height._

_Ed glanced back, narrowing his eyes slightly. He had felt that tickling feeling at the back of his neck that you get when someone stares at you. But he saw nothing, and he brushed it off. Still, he had an odd feeling that something was about to happen, and he kept his guard up. _

_Then there was a quick whizzing sound just behind him, and he whipped around. _Clang! _A busted dart fell to the floor next to him after colliding with his metal arm. _

_"What the hell?_!_" Ed growled, kicking the dart aside. His gaze raked the area where the dart had come from, but he found nothing. Only a few doors...someone must have opened a door just enough the shoot the dart at him, then closed it right away. But which door? _

_Ed walked towards the doors. His pride refused to let someone get away with this. He stopped about five feet away, eyeing each door carefully. Behind one of the doors, there was an attacker. But which one? They all looked exactly the same. _

_Then he saw it; a shadow behind the third door. It moved slightly, signaling that someone was behind it. Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted his automail into a blade. He took a step back, and without thinking, he slammed into the door._

_…Only, he didn't make contact with it. The door swung open last second, causing Ed to fall ungracefully to the floor. He saw a shadow move fast, and a slight prick to the back of his neck. Cold flowed into his veins, and his mind numbed. He unwillingly closed his eyes, hating himself for giving in to the drugs_

* * *

Ed opened his eyes slightly. What was that dream about…? It was very weird, and it shook him up slightly. What was that kid doing in his dreams? What was he doing, going to a meeting, and who was 'Colonel Bastard'? Why had he been so stupid to have just busted his way through a random door? Who injected him with that drug? Questions whirred in his mind, all lacking answers. Nonetheless, he was still incredibly tired, and he closed his eyes once more, this time falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Life at the office was pretty much the usual; busy. The only difference was that there was tenseness in the air, and for good reason. There were plenty of headaches going around like a contagion. The most prone to said bug are the higher-ups of Central Command, those in charge of locating the murderer.

Luckily, Roy Mustang wasn't stuck in his office doing paperwork, even though later on he knew he'd probably be drowned in it. For now, he was just happy that he was part of the searches.

He and his team were in charge of the northeastern corner of Central; they would be searching in pairs. Havoc and Breda, Fuery and Falman, Hawkeye and Mustang. All except one were armed with guns; the one exception had ignition gloves.

The northeastern parts of the city were average looking; not run down and abandoned, but not exactly rich, either. The buildings were brick and were no bigger than three stories tall. A few trees dotted the sidewalks, all trimmed nicely so they looked nearly identical. The roads were slightly run-down, a few cracks crisscrossing the black pavement, but all in all, it wasn't bad enough to be a problem.

Havoc led the way into the next building somewhat sluggishly; they had been searching for three hours now. There were mostly just worried families, all fretting about the Fuhrer's death and worried that the murderer would go after them. Havoc and Breda carefully assured them that the murderer wouldn't be able to stay hidden for long and wouldn't be able to get to anyone. After all, the streets were deserted; anyone walking by would stand out like a red marker on an otherwise blank white piece of paper. They would be immediately questioned; there would be no avoiding the military.

Breda sighed quietly as Havoc knocked on the door. Both looked tired and irritable, which was expected, as they had been searching homes for a long time.

The door opened, revealing a tall man with circular glasses that hid his eyes. He wore casual clothes, which was a red tee shirt and jeans, along with sandals. He opened the door wider.

"Ah yes, you military folks- come right on in, sirs." He smiled warmly, stepping back to let Havoc and Breda in.

Breda walked forwards, looking around. Havoc stepped back as the man closed the door.

"I just need to ask you a few questions, okay?" Havoc said to him, waving his clip board.

The man nodded. "Yes, of course. Go right ahead."

"Name?"

"Doctor Rey Pierson."

"Do you live with anyone else?"

"Nobody."

"Is there anyone else here at the moment?"

"No, other than you soldiers."

Havoc asked more questions, and Pierson answered pretty easily, no indication of lies. Meanwhile, Breda was looking around, searching for any clues that might hint that a murderer was here. Everything seemed normal, so Breda began to let his guard down.

He noticed a scuff mark on the hardwood flooring right next to a large bookcase. It did seem a little suspicious, but hey, who knows when it was from? It could have been there for years. No sense in freaking out over a bookcase being moved a little bit.

Breda kept walking, heading back to Havoc. He heard his friend ask the last question.

"Are you an alchemist?"

Pierson paused. After a small moment of silence, he said, "I've tried it a little, yes. Although I must admit, I'm not very good at it. So I gave it up. Am I still considered an alchemist?"

Havoc thought for a moment. "Well...yeah, I guess, since you tried it. So you're considered an alchemist." He scribbled something down in the last line. "Alright, that's it. Thanks for your time."

Havoc stood up and walked towards the door, Breda following. He stepped out, grateful to be out of that place. The guy was too comfortable; it looked like he knew what he was doing. Breda glanced at Havoc, and noticed that he shared the same look.

"That guy was a little creepy, don't you think? I mean, he was nice and all, but just...weird." Havoc grumbled.

Breda nodded. "Yeah, I noticed it too." He sighed, walking ahead. "Let's just get this over with, I'd like to get home soon...I'm tired as hell."

* * *

From the basement, Ed could hear footsteps. They were loud. Seriously, can't people learn to step lightly? It wasn't that hard to do. Maybe they could try it out for a change.

Ed rolled over so he lay flat on his stomach, face first into his pillow. "Shut...the fuck…up." His voice was muffled from a certain fluffy pillow. He could even hear their voices, god dammit! How loud could they be? It sounded like they were asking stupid questions.

_"Name?" _

_"Doctor Rey Pierson."_

_"Do you live with anyone else?" _

_"Nobody."_

_"Is there anyone else here at the moment?"_

_"No, other than you soldiers."_

Ed mentally snorted. _'What a load of bullshit. I'm here, or maybe he's forgotten already?'_ He rolled over onto his back so he faced up. Someone was walking directly above him, then the footsteps receded slowly towards the door to the basement. He heard the person pause momentarily, then once again continue walking.

Once again, tiredness took over Ed like a tide of water. With an indignant sniff, he flipped onto his side so he faced the concrete wall. He fell asleep, not really caring about what was going on upstairs, as long as it didn't directly involve him.

Then again, he was so tired, he probably wouldn't have cared even if it had _everything_ to do with him.

* * *

The Doctor watched as the two soldiers left. How ironic; they both worked closely with the Fullmetal Alchemist. The Doctor, of course, had done his research before kidnapping Ed, and he knew all his family members, close friends, subordinates, even his automail mechanic. It took him months to get all the information about Edward Elric, everything, even things the boy probably didn't know even about himself. But it was all worth it; he had an untouchable killing machine under his control! He had _power_!

The Doctor thought for a moment. He knew that they had to start forming another plan. But would they really need one? Ed would just get to Central Command via tunnels, make his way into the next Fuhrer's office, kill the guy, then leave, like he did last time. Although, it felt like he should be preparing, at least in some way…

The Doctor mentally face-palmed. How did he not think of this sooner? The boy was wearing a _bright red trench coat_. If somebody saw him, they'd tell everyone they knew that they saw the murderer in a red coat, and everyone would know that it was Edward Elric who was killing the high-ranking military officials. That could not happen.

The Doctor decided to fix that problem. The kid needed to blend in. He needed something darker…like a black trench coat.

Perfect.

He pushed the bookcase aside and opened the door. After trotting down the stairs, he walked over to Ed and leaned over him. "Wake up."

The kid didn't move, or make any notion that he was waking up.

"Hey Ed, wake up!" He began shaking the kid's shoulder.

Ed was still asleep.

_Dammit, this kid is a heavy sleeper!_ The Doctor began shaking him more violently, before putting his lips right up to Ed's ear and shouting,

"Wake the fuck up already!"

This seemed to work. The blonde's eyes whipped open, and immediately he whirled around and punched the Doctor clean in the face.

"_Aghh!_" The Doctor fell back. He clutched his fast swelling forehead as stars began to swarm viciously around his head.

Ed stared at him, looking very surprised. "What the fuck, Doc? Can't I get any sleep at all?" He didn't look guilty at all, just irritated.

The Doctor cringed in pain. "I just want you to change your red coat so that it's black instead of red, god dammit! Did you really have to punch me in the face?_!_"

Ed shrugged. "Well, you surprised me is all. Anyways, why would I want to change my coat color? I think red is fine. Why do I have to change it?"

"Because I told you to! It's more discreet! People will recognize you right away if you run around in a bright red coat."

"So what? They just know that the murderer wears a red coat. Big deal. Lots of people wear red coats."

"No, they don't! And besides, that's not the point. You can blend in better wearing black. Just do it already."

"I don't want to."

"Ed!"

"No."

"Damn it, Ed,just change the coat color!"

"…fine. But only if you let me sleep for two days without waking me up at all. Swear!"

"..deal. I swear I won't wake you up for two days straight. But when those two days are over, I'm waking you up right away!"

Ed smirked. He didn't mind a change of color if it meant that he could have extra sleep. He could probably sleep for weeks without waking up once; provided of course that he had eaten enough to last. He could eat quite a lot, actually. But that was a different subject.

He just wanted to go back to sleep already.

He stepped out of bed and pulled off his coat, before he clapped his hands together, then pressed his palms against the fabric. Blue electricity flickered over the coat, and the colors faded to black. But instead of turning the entire coat black, he changed his symbol to dark red. He pretty much just switched the colors around.

The Doctor stared. "I told you to make the coat black, not black _and _red."

Ed shrugged, pulling it on. "Nah, I like it this way better. And this coat's actually not too bad, really. I think I like it better this way." He smirked, jumping back into bed. "Talk to you in two days, Doc. Don't forget about our deal!"

With that, Ed closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately.

The Doctor stared incredulously. The nerve of that kid. Maybe he should have picked another child prodigy for his plans. This one was too hot headed, arrogant, stubborn, he could think up a million things wrong with this brat. But he did his job well, so it didn't matter anyway.

In two days time, the Doctor would send out his assassin to kill the next Fuhrer, whoever it might be.

* * *

**I'd like to thank ChibiUchiha723 for pointing out that Ed wearing a red coat is a bit, uh, 'flashy', so to say. So thank her for Ed's change of colors! I personally loved the idea when she suggested it! Thank you! :'3**

**Also, another shout out to Dylexa, my almighty beta reader! She improves this fic GREATLY- it would make absolutely no sense if it weren't for her awesome editing skills. So please, give her your thanks as well!**

**~Aero**


	5. Secrets Revealed

**Alright, first of all, sorry for the long wait! I had a little trouble writing this due to a short writer's block, but it's all better now!**

**Unfortunately though, school started and I won't be able to write as often as I was able to during the summer, especially with soccer and equestrian team starting, so please bear with me! I will try to write during school, I promise. **

**Shout out to my TWO betas! Midna and Dylexa! You two are awesome, you make this story AMAZING! Readers, go tell them how much you love them, please!**

**Longest chapter yet! *cheers* About 3,635 words total. **

**Disclaimer- I do not own FMA or FMA:B! **

* * *

Mustang and his team had finished their inspections and were in the car, heading back to HQ. The dark, silent landscape of Central was hardly visible; the moon was hidden behind a blanket of clouds. The only meager light came from the lamp posts that occasionally dotted the roadsides.

"Did anyone find anything suspicious?" Mustang asked, glancing back from the front seat. Hawkeye kept her eyes on the road, slowing the carslightly to make a right turn.

Fuery shook his head. "Nothing much, sir. Nothing that would indicate an assassin," he reported. Falman nodded in agreement.

Mustang looked at Havoc. "Havoc? Breda? What about you?"

Breda answered. "There was this one guy who seemed a little creepy, but I'm not sure if he would be the 'murderer' type. He seemed more like the kind of guy who would stalk someone from a distance, but not actually attack," he explained. Havoc snorted in agreement.

Mustang thought for a moment. "Hm… Was there nobody in the house with him?" he asked, glancing back at the two.

Havoc shook his head. "He claimed that there was nobody. Breda didn't find anything either. At least, if he did, he didn't tell me…" Havoc looked at Breda.

Breda shook his head. "Nobody, sir. I checked all the rooms."

Mustang huffed. "Hm… I'd like to check this place out for myself," he said, turning around and gazing out the window.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence.

* * *

The next day…

* * *

Alphonse sighed, staring at the phone as though it would bite him. He inched away from it, dreading when he would have to break the news of Ed's "disappearance" to Winry. Or the fact that he knew who the Fuhrer's assassin was. Or that Ed and the assassin one and the same.

Alphonse put on a determined face and picked up the phone. He had to do this. Brother wasn't here to do it for him. Actually, Brother would be against doing this, but that was exactly why Alphonse had to do it! Brother made stupid decisions. His stupid decision to kill the Fuhrer was a perfect example.

He dialed in the number, and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang once. _Please don't pick up, _he rang again._Don't pick up please…_ It rang a third time. _Well, at least I tried. Oh well!_ The fourth ring was cut off.

"Hello, Rockbell Automail."

Alphonse nearly jumped. "Pinako!"

Pinako seemed to huff. "Alphonse! It's about time you called us. We haven't heard from you and your brother in weeks,"she said. "I hope everything's alright in Central? I heard the Fuhrer was assassinated. Is it true?"

Alphonse tensed. "Uh… Yeah, it's true. That's exactly why I called, actually. Could you pass the phone to Winry, please?"

"Yeah, hold on a moment," Pinako replied. She seemed to have taken the phone away from her ear. _"Winry! Pick up the phone, someone would like to talk to you."_

A moment later, Alphonse heard the phone rustle as it was passed to Winry. "Hello?"

Alphonse smiled, although he knew she wouldn't be able to see it. "Hey, Winry, it's Alphonse," he said.

"Al!" Winry exclaimed. "Where are you? What's going on?"

"Well–"

"Wait. Don't tell me. Did Ed break his automail again!? If he did, I swear–"

"No, Winry, that isn't it!"

"… It isn't?"

"No." Alphonse paused, biting his bottom lip. "Well… Brother's gone missing."

A moment of silence greeted him. "… Missing? What do you mean?" Winry asked, voice very quiet.

Alphonse sighed. "He went missing about a week ago. He was supposed to go to a meeting with the Colonel. But then the Colonel called me and asked why Ed hadn't shown up. We couldn't find him anywhere. Three days later, we found a body. It looked just like Ed, and apparently it was him, based on the autopsy. But it wasn't!" He added quickly. Alphonse could feel himself nearing tears. "Because I was there right after the Fuhrer was assassinated! I _saw_ him, Winry! He jumped out the window! Nobody believes me!"

Alphonse finally broke down into tears.

He had tried to keep himself from crying, he'd tried really hard. But he had kept it in for so long. Nobody believed him when he said that he had seen Ed. Everyone had told him that he just didn't want to believe it, being that he was his older brother. But Alphonse knew that his big brother was still alive. He knew it! But nobody believed him, and nobody was searching for him.

Winry was silent for a moment.

"Al…no matter how crazy this all seems, how impossible it is…" Her soft voice became somewhat annoyed, "this is the kind of thing that could _only_ happen to you two! Honestly, can't you guys keep out of trouble just once!?"

Al sniffled and let out a light laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Al chuckled, a genuine laugh this time. "As usual." He paused, a moment of silence spanning a few seconds pausing their speech. "Uh.. Winry?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"Thank you."

* * *

A small black cat raced down the street, slender tail waving behind him as he ran. Sleek midnight colored fur rippled softly in the wind, small white paws silently propelling him across the sidewalk. His ears were flicked back for aerodynamic purposes, although, it made little to no difference. The only unusual attribute to said feline was his lavender-colored eyes.

The cat slowed to an easy trot as he neared one of the many buildings. He narrowed his eyes, hoping that this was, in fact, where the Fullmetal pipsqueak was hiding. He didn't have the time to waste on a false lead, after all. The cat slipped into the building, silently evaluating his surroundings and racing towards the first door on the right.

The cat looked over the doorway, trying to figure out a way through. Seeing no obvious way of a silent entry, the cat suddenly engulfed himself in a white light, and within seconds, a person stood where the cat had been. He wasn't exactly tall, but not short either, with good muscle tone and lavender eyes. He wore a tank top that showed his entire stomach, fingerless gloves that stretched up his forearms, and a miniskirt. A headband held back palm tree-like dark green hair.

The homunculus lifted his leg and kicked down the door. It fell to the ground with a loud clatter, followed by silence._Guess nobody's home,_ the homunculus thought, striding through the doorway. The apartment looked pretty much normal; a little on the messy side, but that was usual for a human household.

The Sin's footsteps were loud as he stepped through the place, looking for his target. After walking around twice, he did not find anything. He was getting fed up. _Another false lead? Dammit! Is it really so hard to spot a short blonde kid running around Central in a bright red trench coat?_

Then he noticed it – the smallest scuff mark, seemingly new, based on the way the dust on the ground had tracks where the giant bookcase had been moved. Now somewhat curious, the homunculus pushed the bookcase to the side and looked up at his find, a wide smirk on his face. "Bingo."

It was a door. Normal looking, of course – but the fact that it had been covered hinted that there was something behind there that the occupant of this apartment did not want anyone to know about. Reaching forwards, the Sin opened the door, and trotted down the creaky wooden steps into a dimly lit concrete basement.

There was a desk off to one side, along with a small table lamp that provided the only meager light, leaving the opposite side of the basement concealed in shadow. The desk was scattered with papers, and as the Sin read over some of them, he noticed it was official military documents and notes on the human brain and how to manipulate it. "I think I'd like to have a little talk with whoever wrote this stuff," he murmured to himself, loving the idea of playing around with someone's mind.

The homunculus looked up from his reading as he heard someone upstairs swear in surprise, obviously pretty miffed that his door was broken down. "Shit," the homunculus growled, diving into the shadows. His foot collided with something metal. "Ow! Dammit!" he swore again, shaking his foot as red electricity flickered over it, healing it. In that light, he saw something staring down at him for a moment; two large golden eyes gazing at him, a strange flickering green light in his vision. It scared the homunculus, seeing that, and he leaped backwards with a startled yelp. "What the hell!?" he snarled, eyes wide and very surprised.

Someone was racing down the stairs. The homunculus turned, and he was looking down the barrel of a gun. The holder of the weapon was a tall man with glasses that shielded his eyes, and a square, chiseled face. His lips were set at an angry line, pressed tightly together.

"Who are you?" The man asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The homunculus smirked. "Call me Envy. And put your gun away, even if you do shoot, it wouldn't do anything," the Sin replied. He wondered why he was answering questions – he should be asking them, not this human!

The man frowned, but didn't remove the gun.

"I'm a homunculus, dammit! The perfect being! I'm practically immortal!" Envy snarled, exasperated. "Just tell me where the Fullmetal pipsqueak is so I can lea–"

Envy was cut off as a bullet tore into his brain.

He was pushed backwards by the force, but he stayed on his feet, instead bending his back. He brought his back up again, a wicked smile on his face. "I…t-told you…that won't do…anything." Envy said through gritted teeth as red electricity flickered over the bullet wound. He coughed once, spitting out the bullet onto an open palm.

The man had dropped his gun in shock. His hands being free of anything, Envy reached forwards, grabbed one hand, and placed the bullet in his palm. "There, that's for you." Envy smirked, closing the man's fingers over the small piece of metal.

The man shook his head slightly and threw the bullet to the side. "How did you do that?" he asked, eyes wide.

Envy scowled. "Listen here, human. I'm not going to answer your stupid little questions. I'm only here to get thepipsqueak, and then I'll leave. Got it?"

The man blinked. "Oh, you want Ed!" He grinned, finally realizing that Envy was after his assassin. "Sorry, no can do."

Envy scowled again. "What do you mean, 'no can do?' You don't have a say in this," he growled.

The man smirked. "Maybe so, but I doubt that Ed's very happy that you woke him up. He won't be very cooperative."

A shuffling sound from the shadows caused Envy to turn. A figure melted from the darkness, eyes gleaming like redstreet lights. His black coat made him look almost like a phantom. A very pissed off phantom.

"Alright, who's the dipwad that decided to kick my bed?"

Envy smirked. Although the glowing red eyes unnerved him slightly, he didn't think that was important. "There's thePipsqueak! You're coming with me." Envy took a step towards Ed.

Ed smirked back. "There's my answer," he hissed, clapping his palms together and brushing his left hand over his automail forearm. The metal reformed into a long, savage-looking dagger.

Envy rolled his eyes. "Looks like we're gonna have to do things the hard way, hm? Oh well, I look forward to kicking your–" Envy was cut off. He hadn't even seen Ed dart forwards, and his blade was now buried in his chest. As soon as he stabbed the homunculus, he wrenched the blade to the side, and ripped it out.

"Agghh!" Envy snarled, doubling over. "That hurt!" The red electricity once again flickered over his wound, healing it.

Ed gazed on, a look of slight confusion on his face. "You didn't die," he stated, slightly intrigued and slightly annoyed.

Envy stood up, the last trace of the wound closing over itself. "Well duh, I'm a homunculus! Or maybe you've forgotten?" Ed's blank expression answered Envy's question.

"Dammit! Does this mean he can't remember how to make Philosopher's Stone?!"

Ed scowled. "No, I think I know how to. But I'm not going to do it, too many green people die."

Envy stared at Ed. "'Green people?' What the hell does that mean?"

The other man spoke up. "Ed has advanced vision, and he can see normal people as colored green, and enemies are colored red. He saw you as red, which means you're an enemy, and he's trained to kill all enemies." He explained.

Envy paused for a moment, then began to laugh. "The Fullmini Pipsqueak? _Killing_ people? That's the biggest load of bullshit–"

The man cut him off. "Ed just killed Fuhrer Grumman."

Envy choked as he abruptly stopped laughing. "What!?"

Ed turned and walked away. "He was red. Anyone who's red has to die." He shrugged, as if that statement made as much sense as the reason for breathing.

Envy began laughing again. "Alright, alright. I'll let you go on with your little killing spree for a couple more days or so. This is too funny to put a stop to it already," he said, standing up. He began walking up the stairs again.

The man – the Doctor – stared after the homunculus. "What the hell…?" He said, picking up his gun and placing it on his desk. He looked towards Ed, but the boy was already asleep again. The device really drains his energy. He'd have to come up with a more efficient chip to possibly replace the current one.

The Doctor walked up the stairs and closed the door to the basement, not bothering to replace the bookcase. The military already checked his house, and he got an all clear. They wouldn't be coming back.

He sighed, picking up his front door. At least it wasn't too damaged. He began screwing the hinges back into the door frame, hardly worried about Envy. He didn't seem like the kind of inhuman monster who would rat them out.

* * *

The next day…

* * *

A day full of paperwork left all the higher-ups of Central Command too exhausted to even get a cup of coffee. For Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Falman, it was no different. That was, however, yesterday, and now was the time to take care of anything else that was not done previously.

True to his word, Mustang did remember that he wanted to check out that one apartment that Havoc and Breda had considered odd. At his side, he had Riza, of course, and Havoc, because he knew this man's way of talking better than anyone in the office. At about one o'clock, they left.

The drive there was pretty much uneventful, as expected of course, and Riza parked the car in an alleyway off to the side of the building so as not

to bring too much unwanted attention.

Mustang led the way through the doorway. "Which door, Havoc?"

Havoc pointed towards the first door on the right. "That one, sir."

Mustang walked up to the doorway, Hawkeye just a step behind him on the left, Havoc on the right. The Colonel knocked once, two swift taps.

There was a shuffling sound, and then someone opened the door. Although glasses hid his eyes, it was obvious he was surprised, based on the sudden tightness of his lips and around his eyes. "Can I help you?" he asked, obviously forcing a casual look on his face.

Mustang nodded, immediately suspicious. If he was innocent, he would obviously have been more comfortable. "Yes, actually. We're doing extra searches in this general area. Let us through, please." His tone of voice said that he wasn't asking to be let in, he was telling.

The man's jaw muscles tightened, but he nodded stiffly. "Yes, of course. Please do come in," he ground out, opening the door wider. Mustang, Hawkeye and Havoc walked inside, sharp eyes watching carefully for even the smallest hint that would indicate an attack. Everything seemed perfectly normal. Nothing out of place. Nothing abnormal.

The man closed the door behind the three soldiers. Mustang turned to him. "You are Mr. Rey Pierson, correct?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I am," he replied simply. Pierson paused. "Is there a problem that I should know about?" he asked cautiously, placing the tone of his words too carefully.

Roy Mustang shook his head, his suspicions rising. Everything was too… planned. Rehearsed. "No, nothing. Like I said, we're just doing extra searches in this general area."

Pierson nodded, although still looking very uncertain behind his forced casual demeanor.

Hawkeye walked around the living room, opening one door to reveal a bedroom, which she closed after looking it over with one sweep of her gaze. Havoc, on the other side of the room, walked into the kitchen area, and finding nothing wrong, turned back into the living room. Mustang stayed with Pierson, asking some questions about the man's alibi for that day.

Hawkeye walked towards the back of the living room, to the last door that remained unchecked. She turned the doorknob and opened the door, finding worn wooden steps leading down into a dark basement.

Her muscles stiffened. Everything about this screamed malevolence. Turning away, Hawkeye glanced at her subordinate.

"Havoc. Did Breda mention a basement?" she whispered.

Havoc walked over, eyes narrowing slightly. "No, he didn't. I don't remember seeing this door, actually. Hold on, I'm getting the Colonel."

Havoc trotted over to Mustang, whispered a few quick words, and the superior officer nodded in acknowledgment. He stayed with Pierson while Mustang joined Hawkeye by the entrance of the basement. Riza pulled out her gun and cocked it. Roy pulled on a pair of ignition gloves.

The pair proceeded down the steps; Mustang first, Hawkeye just a step behind. The basement was dark, lit only by a small, hardly effective table lamp that rested on a desk at the far left wall. The right was still concealed in shadows, the light not doing much at all. In fact, a candle might have provided more light than the measly lamp.

The place was silent, unmoving. The silence was unnerving; malice seemed to be surrounding this place, and the lack of sound made it all the more nerve wracking. Hawkeye didn't let this get to her. She was trained to be able to cope with such situations, and that was what she would do. Not only that, but her superior officer trusted her to watch his back. She fully intended on doing just that; it was her job to keep him safe.

Mustang and Hawkeye shuffled forwards, one pistol and one gloved hand leading the way. The latter snapped quietly, and a small but effective flame flickered into the shadows, momentarily illuminating the dark recesses of the basement. In the two seconds that the flame had given light, the soldiers noticed that the wall stretched only about twenty feet from the left wall. There was a small cot, metal legs shining orange in the fire light.

And, was that a golden braid whisking beneath the covers that they also saw?

They did not have time to wonder; a thud sounded upstairs. Attention diverted from the basement, Mustang turned. "Havoc!" he called, expecting to hear him say something, like, "He pulled a knife and I knocked him out, sir!"

No response.

There was a quiet shuffling; barely a sound. But Hawkeye's sniper ears picked it up. Immediately, she whipped around and cocked her gun, just as a shadowy figure leaped towards Colonel Mustang. Hawkeye could see the red glow, as though the figure's eyes were made out of red street lights behind a black, white and gold mask. A black hood covered its head, causing it to blend in with the shadows.

There was a knife in his right hand. He was flying straight at the Colonel's exposed back.

Hawkeye fired. She never missed. She had a record of never once missing her target.

Hawkeye's bullet did not find its target.

The figure had spun last second, and the bullet hit the wall behind it. Instead of stabbing the Colonel, it had landed in a crouch several feet away, eyeing them with no detectable emotion. Hawkeye cocked her gun again, aimed quickly at its right knee, then shot.

The figure ducked to the side, eyes giving a bright red flash. It propelled itself from the wall, straight at Hawkeye. The sharpshooter's target was too close to shoot accurately; she held the gun in front of her anyways, prepared to feel metal tear into her flesh at any second.

But it never came. Instead, there was a loud thud. Mustang had launched himself at the figure, knocking him over with sheer force. He landed on top of the figure, pinning it by the shoulders.

Mustang looked away from the struggling person and ordered, "Quick, shoot his leg so he can't walk!"

Hawkeye needed no further encouragement. She cocked her gun, aimed it at his right calf, and fired.

The figure gasped loudly, its glowing eyes losing some luster. It continued to struggle, but it was a lot weaker than it had been before.

Mustang scowled down at the person. "Don't bother, you won't be going anywhere."

The figure just glared back at Mustang behind the mask.

"I bet you this is who we've been looking for, Hawkeye," the Colonel continued with a sigh.

Hawkeye nodded. "Yes, sir," was her reply, as usual.

Mustang reached forwards and pulled off the mask, revealing the murderer. Two pairs of eyes widen in disbelief, shock, fear, and even a little happiness, although not much. The other pair was narrowed with hate, mistrust and irritation.

Face set in a scowl, golden eyes glittering with blood lust, Edward Elric stared back at Mustang, just waiting to see his next move.

* * *

***gasp* Ed's identity has been revealed! What will happen next? Will the Doctor rush in to Ed's rescue? Will Mustang and crew rat him out? Or will they protect him, and stick to their loyal ways?**

**You guys probably hate me for adding even more of a cliffhanger here. Oh well! The more reviews, the more I'll work on this! So review please!**


	6. Found and Lost

**Ahh! So sorry about the long wait! 8th grade has been really demanding so far, as with sports and work and all that stuff that makes time a limited resource! But hey, the newest chapter is out!**

**I think this chapter really starts to kick off the more action-y parts of this story, and if not this chapter, probably the next one. Then, things start to get really complicated and dramatic. Probably an estimate of maybe.. 5-6 more chapters? Depends on where things go from here.**

**ALSO- I have a poll on my profile for a new fanfic! I REALLY NEED YOUR OPINION. I have 4 ideas so far, but that's constantly changing as I come up with them. This will be after Nevermore is finished. **

**New feature to this story: BLOOPERS! It will be at the bottom of the page, after the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA!**

* * *

Ed's gaze remained unwavering in its intensity. Mustang could only stare back, wondering what the hell was going on. The person in front of him was _dead_; he'd _seen_ the body, the extensive injuries that marred the tight, tan skin. _Nobody_ could live through that, _not even Ed._

Something weird flickered across the kid's golden irises- small green lines darting around the edges, what looked like a grid, and maybe even some numbers; too small to be sure.

In the moment of Mustang's distraction, a boot connected with his ribs, and he was sent flying backwards. He hit the concrete ground about second later, pain blooming in his lungs and rib cage. He let out a groan, wincing. It felt like he had a broken rib, if not, badly bruised, but either way, it was pretty damn painful.

While Hawkeye rushed to her commander's side, Ed jumped to his feet, but collapsed a second later when his flesh leg refused the weight Ed tried to put on it. He swore, realizing that walking would not be an option at the moment, and pulled himself up onto his automail leg, then jumped on one foot towards the wall, which he leaned on for support.

Looking up, Ed let his advanced vision look beyond the ceiling; the familiar blue aura of the Doctor was gone, although there was a green body on the floor, face-up. He was only unconscious, not dead, as all dead people were gray, due to the lack of an aura.

Since the Doctor was gone, Ed realized he was alone to fight off these people, whoever they were, and with only one leg. Sure, he had two arms, but what good were they if he could not run and fight?

Already, his opponent was getting to his feet, as well as his blonde-haired friend. He let his gaze portray his distrust, his hatred for his enemies. A quick switch of vision revealed that they both possessed red auras. They must be eliminated.

Using the one option he had at his disposal, Ed dropped to his knees after a clap and pressed his palms against the concrete. Two stone slaps erupted from the ground on either side of his enemies, almost crushing them. But they were fast- the female one shoved the other out of the way, leaping after him, just barely making it out in time to avoid being crushed by solid rock. The basement was only so big, however; they were practically on top of him after escaping that attack.

Seeing as fighting was no longer a reasonable option, Ed thought fast. He transmuted the floor beneath him, letting it open up to expose the tunnels that ran beneath Central. He dropped down, landing on his automail foot, wincing as a jolt of pain coursed through the port. He'd jammed it. Nevertheless, he hopped forwards, clapping his hands together and slamming his palms to the tunnel walls. The opening in the tunnel roof closed, engulfing the place in pitch blackness.

Ed stumbled forwards, but ended up collapsing again due to both legs being in pain, and one being completely out of the question. Flesh leg shot, automail jammed. He managed to pull himself to the wall, using one hand to feel the way and bring his weight forwards. He turned himself over and leaned back against the cold rock wall.

Squinting, Ed strained to see the damage. He couldn't see anything, nothing at all. Reverting to his digital vision in hopes of finding out how bad the wound was, he noticed that he could only see his own green aura. Nothing more, nothing less.

What he didn't see, off to the side, was the red aura that stood about twenty feet away.

Ed switched back to his normal vision and leaned back against the tunnel walls, tilting his head to gaze at the tunnel roof. He'd have to find the Doctor, first of all. He'd fix the wounds. After that, well, that depends on what the Doctor needed him to do.

_Snap_

Fire was suddenly lashing viciously in front of Ed. With a startled yelp, he pushed his back against the wall, staring at the sudden flames that, for some reason, did not touch him, only surrounded him in a perfect circle. They did not lash out like normal flames.

Ed stared at the flames for a second, watching them suspiciously. Finally, after a moment, he glanced to the side. "You."

The dark-haired man had followed him into the tunnels.. and even caught him by surprise. He had been blinded by his own confidence in his skills, and now it cost him. He was cornered and heavily injured. Things were not looking good.

The man walked towards Ed. His gaze held little emotion in the dark onyx depths; his face was tight, however, showing how much this whole thing was truly affecting him. Ed wondered how he knew how to read this man so easily.

The man stopped at the edge of the flames. "Fullmetal."

The word caught Ed by surprise. _Fullmetal._ He was sure he'd heard it before.. Nearly positive.. A voice seemed to whisper in his mind a second after the realization, defying Ed's suspicions on who this man was. It's voice spoke monochromicly, uniform and emotionless, telling him what he was supposed to believe. No, you hadn't. You've _never heard the word. It was just a word. Nothing more. It has no value. No worth. _

_It_

_means_

_nothing._

Ed's hands went to the side of his head as he bent forwards, gritting his teeth. Sharp pain bloomed around his skull. The chip.. it was glitching. The information that took up the edges of his vision flickered, then went out. Memories flooded into his mind, filling it with knowledge and experiences and most noticeably, pain.

Ed let out a choked scream. _It's the Colonel. What's the colonel doing here? Where's Al?_

_Al.-_

The chip sprang back to life, electricity flooding through Ed's brain. The memories disappeared, pushed away by the chip. The information in his vision reappeared. The pain faded away.

Ed gasped for breath, then looked up and saw the man staring down at him in horror. "Are you alright?" He asked, reaching forwards.

Ed's gaze flickered from his hand to his eyes and back, suspicious and distrustful. "Who are you?" he panted. The sides of his vision were turning into cotton. He was losing too much blood.

The man sighed. "As I figured. You've lost your memory. But," he paused. "that doesn't explain why we found your dead body, and why you are here right now."

Ed barely heard what the man said. He blinked, his vision becoming white, his hearing giving way to a high pitched ringing. He felt himself slipping, his eyes closing, just barely heard the man yell, "Ed!" before everything was silenced by blackness.

* * *

Al stopped at the counter in the hotel, having been called down from his room. "I'm Alphonse, you have a call for me to take?"

The receptionist nodded. "Yeah, here you are." He replied, handing the phone to Al.

Al put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Alphonse?"_ It was Breda.

"Oh, hi Lieutenant Breda. Is there something you need?" Al asked politely, leaning back against the counter.

"_Well, the Colonel wants you to come to the hospital. Something really important, he says._" There was a slight pause. "_I wish I could tell you what's going on, but he wouldn't tell me. He just said to go the hospital. Fuery will be waiting for you._"

Al frowned, worried. Why would he need to go to the hospital? And what would be so important? He hoped nobody was hurt..

"Uh, sure. Thank you, sir," Al said, voice a little unsteady.

"_Any time._" The phone clicked, signaling that the call had ended.

Al handed the phone to the receptionist, saying a quick thanks, then hurried through the lobby and out the door. He called a cab, jumped in, and sat back against the leather seat, fiddling with his fingers restlessly. The ride seemed to take horribly long, but eventually, the hospital came into sight.

Al paid the driver then hopped out of the car. He spotted Fuery, and jogged over to him. "Fuery!" Al greeted. "What's going on? Is someone hurt?"

Fuery looked uncomfortable, fueling Al's worry. "I think it's best if the Colonel told you what's going on," He said sheepishly, turning and walking towards the hospital doors, looking back to make sure Al was following.

The young alchemist trailed skittishly after Fuery. He wanted to know what was going on, honestly, but he also worried that it was something bad. By the way everyone was acting, it certainly seemed that way.

They walked into the hospital. One might think that, despite how often they had to visit the place, they would get used to it after a while. But no, the blinding white was just as intimidating and ominous as always, revealing that beneath all the cleanliness and the hopeful air, was the underlying stench of disease, illness, and death. The truth beneath the rose, as they say; beneath the soft velvet petals lay the sharp barbs, existing solely for the purpose of inflicting harm.

Fuery led Al into an elevator, pressed a button with a three on it, then fiddled with his hand nervously. Al bit his lip, turning to face the door. He just wished that someone would tell him what, exactly, was going on here.

The doors slid open. Fuery stepped out, Al right behind, and pointed down the hall.

"Room 3-8. Knock three times, the Colonel is there, he'll answer for you."

Al nodded stiffly, then walked towards the room, back rigid. His heart beat strong against his rib cage, pounding in his ear, the steady _thump thump thump_ gaining speed every step he took. With a hesitant hand, Al's fist hovered in front of the door for a moment, then he took a deep breath and knocked. Once, twice, and three times.

Al took a step back and waited for the door to open. About ten seconds later, the door swung open, and he was faced with a very tired-looking Colonel. The man looked like a wreck; dark circles under his eyes, normally flawless hair tussled up, and a hunch in his posture. His eyes held the attentiveness of rock, and just about the same amount sparkle, too.

Colonel Mustang took a step back. "Al, please come in." He said, voice defeated. This made Al worry.

"It seems that you were right all along.. I was a fool not to look into your theory." He continued, voice a murmur. He paused, waiting for Al's reply.

Al stood still a moment. As usual, his words were like a code, giving just enough information to let him figure it out on his own. _I was right.. Theory.._ _Does this mean that they found Ed..?_ Al's eyes widened suddenly as he whipped around to face the Colonel. "Are you saying that you found Ed!?"

The Colonel bit his lip, a strange solemn and uncertain look crossing his face, then nodded.

Al was no longer standing next to the Colonel. He darted around the corner into the bigger part of the hospital room, and the sight in front of him made him both ecstatic and sick to his stomach.

Ed was in the hospital bed, eyes closed. His face was extremely pale, almost white, so unlike his usual tan. His hair, tangled and knotted, framed his thin face, which an oxygen mask was slung over. Wires connected to his outstretched arm, and his automail one was missing. It seemed that his automail leg was missing as well, since the thin mint-green blanket that covered him occupied the space where it should have been.

All-in-all, it was not the sight that one wanted to see when they found their brother. But it was Ed nevertheless, safe and _here_.

Al stumbled closer and leaned over Ed, eyes wide as he stared down at his older brother. "Colonel.. What happened? Why are you so tired-looking? Why is Ed.. why is he here?"

The Colonel took a deep breath and looked at Al. "We were finishing up inspections when we found him in someone's basement. He jumped out and attacked me and Hawkeye, and the homeowner knocked out Havoc. We fought, and eventually we overpowered him and he tried to escape using a network of tunnels that run underneath Central. Hawkeye was forced to shoot him in the leg during the fight to make sure he couldn't inflict too much damage, and we were able to catch him shortly afterwards. We brought him here after he passed out from blood loss."

Al stared. Brother.. attacked the Colonel and Lieutenant Hawkeye? But why would he do that? Something was not adding up.

When Al didn't reply, the Colonel continued. "Al, there's something wrong with Ed. When he fights, it looks like he gets a digital grid in his eyes, and sometimes it flashes red, like a light bulb, almost. We can't figure out what it is."

Al finally lifted his gaze from Ed to face the Colonel. "Why don't you ask the homeowner?"

"We can't.. The man escaped after knocking out Havoc. We've sent out troops to find him, but we haven't found a single clue as to where he went. It's as if he simply disappeared."

Al nodded, tears brimming the edges of his eyes. He realized that he was on the verge of a breakdown, and quickly corrected himself. _No,_ He told himself, forcing it down. _I can't get like this. I have to be strong! For brother!_

He turned back to Ed. After a moment or two, to Al's happiness, Ed's face seemed to light up slightly, the tiniest smile playing on his face. "Al.." He whispered, so silently he could have been simply mouthing it. His eyes opened.

All the bliss on Ed's face vanished as soon as he woke up.

The golden alchemist's features instantly turned defensive. He sat up, wincing but keeping a diligent eye open and surveying. His gaze locked with Al's, then flitted to the Colonel, and he tried to jump out of his cot to attack.

Al only then noticed the restraint on Ed's wrist, and under the covers, around his torso. They held him back, and he struggled, even as blood began to seep through the bandages on his upper leg.

"Who are you?" He seethed, eyes blazing. "Let me out of here so I can kill you!"

Al took a step back, horror in his eyes. What was Ed talking about? Why did he want to kill the colonel? Ed had a no-killing policy! He refused to kill anyone! It didn't seem like he was saying that as a figure of speech.

And.. why did Ed ask 'Who are you?'?

The Colonel looked slightly surprised at the sudden outburst. "Fullmetal, relax. We're not going to hurt you. I'll tell you everything, all you have to do is stop struggling." He explained carefully, as though talking to a two-year-old. His tone made Al feel sick to his stomach. The colonel should know better; Ed was a prodigy. He would not heed his words if they were spoken like that.

"Like hell, you bastard! Just let me kill you already!" Ed's struggling grew stronger as his anger was fueled.

Al took a deep breath and lunged forwards, pushing Ed back against the hospital bed. Ed's gaze turned to Al, and he could finally see what the Colonel meant by the lights that flashed in his eyes.

Red and green lines crisscrossed Ed's golden iris, with circular grids and digital numbers and lines and all kinds of different shapes that seemed to control the dilation of his eyes. Al was about to get caught in it, but he snapped his attention back to the present. He couldn't get distracted while dealing with Ed right now.

"Calm down, Ed!" Al shouted, his strong voice surprising him. He'd expected it to be hoarse and weak. Oh well, all the better.

"Why? I'm supposed to kill him!" Ed's furious and hate-filled voice filled the room easily. He always did have a big mouth.

Al shook his head determinedly. "No, you can't! What's wrong with you? What happened to you, Brother!?"

That name seemed to jar some sense into him. He suddenly stopped struggling, body still tense underneath Al's hands. "What did you just call me?" His voice was just an extremely quiet whisper, a sharp contrast to what it had been only seconds before.

"I called you 'Brother'." Al replied, his own voice breaking finally. It seemed like Ed couldn't remember anything; it didn't take an alchemist to figure that out.

Ed's eyes widened. The glowing lights in his eyes flickered, then faded out. He blinked a few times. "A-Al?"

Al gasped. "Ed!" He chirped, relief flooding into his words. Ed remembered him!

Ed nodded. "Listen! I've got something really important to say, but I don't think I'll have time to explain it all, so no interruptions! What happened was- I was-" Ed suddenly stopped, doubling over.

"Ed!" Al gasped.

Ed lifted his head just enough to look at Al. Pain showed clearly in his eyes. "I was rigged with a chip that takes away my memories and-"

Ed never finished. His face tightened and jaw clenched, and he seemed to be stifling a shout of pain.

Al was so startled by what he saw, only his love of his brother kept him standing there. Ed's eyes were flashing multiple colors; green, white, blue, red. They flashed rapidly, grid lines and reversed numbers and even a little static coursed across his once bright golden gaze.

"Colonel, what's happening to him!?" gasped Al, not taking his eyes off his brother.

The Colonel looked surprised as well. "I-I don't know." He replied. He turned away, rushed to the door, and called over the nurse.

The lady trotted in, took in Ed's condition, and immediately pointed to the door. "You two, out please. I need to run some tests to get a diagnosis." She ordered.

Al shook his head. "No, I can't leave! Please, I need to stay with my brother!" He replied, not moving from Ed's side.

The nurse pointed towards the door again, narrowing her eyes. "Out!"

Al knew he had no choice. He was only hurting Ed by staying. He turned and walked after the Colonel, sparing one last glance at his older brother.

The Colonel opened the door, leading the way out, and Al followed.

The door shut behind Al. He stared worriedly at it, as if it would open at any second and allow him to return to his brother. He felt the Colonel's hand on his shoulder.

"They're going to do the best they can."

Al turned to face the Colonel. The man seemed, if possible, even more tired looking than before. "But sir.. I don't think this is something we can just brush off, like usual. Ed said something about a chip taking away his memories, and he was about to say that it did more when he got cut off by whatever it is."

The Colonel nodded. "I know. We need to find out what that thing is doing. But right now, we need to keep Ed a secret, and you know why that's the case."

Al nodded; he knew exactly why. Ed killed the Fuhrer. He was going to get much more than just a Court Martial for this. It would most likely give him a death sentence.

Al looked back at the Colonel. "You should get some sleep, sir. No offense, but you look really bad."

The Colonel blinked, then sighed. "I suppose you are right. Just wake me up when we are allowed to see Ed again, alright?" He turned away, walking sluggishly down the hall.

Al realized how tired he was as the Colonel walked away. His limbs felt like automail, his eyelids felt like lead. His mind was slightly foggy. He figured he should have gotten some sleep, but he wanted to be awake for when they allowed visitors to go back into Ed's room. However long that may take.

* * *

The nurse stepped over to Ed, who was currently curled up in a ball, hands clenching the side of his head as the chip glitched and short-circuited. _It must be pretty painful_, the nurse mused to herself. She stood beside the hospital bed, not making a move to leave.

"Like I said, this is too interesting to end just yet."

White light spread around the nurse, and in a moment, Envy was standing in her place, hands on his hips, smirk playing on his face.

He scooped up Ed, who made no move to struggle. He probably didn't even notice; in his pain, he probably couldn't see or feel anything besides the pounding agony.

Envy walked to the window, and kicked it open. He looked out; this was the third story. It was too high to jump without hurting the Pipsqueak. For once, Envy didn't want to hurt him. He needed the kid to be healthy in order to run around and kill people. It would be no fun if he had to wait for a broken leg or rib to heal.

Envy shifted his gaze from down to across. There was a building directly across from here. It looked like an office building, but seemed to be empty of people due to the lack of light. Perfect.

Envy stepped onto the sill, then leaped, holding Ed princess-style. He crashed through a window, landing in a roll but also shielding Ed from the broken glass that littered the floor upon impact. He jumped to his feet, then ran down the hallway. Up ahead, he spotted a door with 'EMERGENCY STAIRS' written above it. Envy jogged towards it in pushed open the doors and trotted lightly down three stair cases.

At the bottom of the stairs, the doors opened into a large lobby, complete with granite tiles and a large counter, wood trimmings, a few plants and several benches. _Fancy,_ Envy thought, _It almost makes me wonder what the big deal is._

Envy trotted through and pushed through the doors. Not too far ahead, he saw a car, and he jogged over to it and pried the door open, careful to break only the lock and not the hinges. Any normal human would have been unable to do this with their bare hands, but then again, Envy was in no way human.

Envy jumped into the car and pushed Ed into the backseat. The kid was still hardly moving, his hands were knotted in his hair, jaw tight and eyes shut. It must have been some severe pain, or else he'd have been fighting if he had even an ounce of the ability. Nevertheless, Envy was fine with not hurting him, for although it would have been fun to beat him senseless, he needed him alive and well.

The homunculus high jacked the car, twisting a few wires around and causing the engine to splutter to life. It wasn't exactly a hot rod, but that wasn't a problem. As long as it could move, it would work.

Envy pulled the car out of the lot, changing into the form of Havoc. He drove down the street, leaving the hospital behind. He'd track down that Doctor guy and hand Ed over to him so that the kid's device would stop glitching. Then, he'd be an emotionless, ruthless killer, like he was supposed to be.

* * *

**BLOOPERS**

Ed narrowed his eyes at the two people in front of him. He raised his hands, clapped once, and growled out his catch phrase. "Ole!" He pressed his palms into the ground a second later, making a stone and gore sandwich.

Al remained where he was as Ed struggled against the restraints that held him back from the Colonel. Al gritted his teeth, leaned forwards, and slammed the side of his fist against Ed's chest, successfully knocking the wind out of him. "Stop trying to kill the Colonel, dammit! You can't do anything with just an arm and a leg!"

Al turned to the Colonel as he closed the door behind them. "No offense, Colonel, but you really need some sleep. You look like shit." The Colonel nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right.."

The Colonel ran to the door and called for a nurse. She stepped in, announced that she had to do a diagnosis, then ordered Roy and Al out of the room. Once they left, she looked at Ed, then picked him up and walked to the window and kicked it open. She jumped out, crashing through the window on the opposite window with Ed in her arms. Meanwhile, at the room, another nurse walked in, took a look around, then put on a confused look. She turned into a he as he changed into his normal form. "Weird.. guess I arrived at the party a little too late." Envy commented, walking to the window and peering out. A nurse was running down the street, holding Ed over her shoulder, who was still clenching his head with an electrical migrane. Envy gazed at them for a moment, then turned and walked away. Things would go their own way from here, he didn't need to interfere.

**Tell me what you think about the bloopers. Were they funny? Should I do more of them? Or were they just plain stupid [like I think they are] Let me know, please!**

**Also, please please please give me your ideas on what you think should happen next. It REALLY helps inspiration-wise. While I might not use that idea directly, I will be able to get ideas off it. Then, in turn, the next chapter comes out sooner, you get credited in the a/n's, and everyone's happy! **


	7. Traceless

**I am so sorry guys! The hurricane knocked out my power for a few days, and school's been no help time-wise.. This chapter is about 2000 words shorter than the last one thanks to a Writer's Block as well. D: Really sorry about that guys, I just needed to post something so you know that this story hasn't been discontinued or anything.**

**LEAVE SOME REVIEWS PLEASE! While you may not think so, they really make my day. Just let me know what you were thinking when you read this.**

**EDIT:: There was some [lots] of confusion with the Alphonse armor/original body in this chapter as a result of poor story planning on my part, so I'm just going to say this now- Al IS in fact in his original body. I'm so sorry about the confusion! All the errors should be fixed now.**

**Also, the timeline is very inaccurate. It is brotherhood, but set before they find out about the Father and his intentions and stuff. Somehow, Al has his body back, too. [like I said, I didn't think this through.. *-*]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. D:**

* * *

Mustang hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he woke up a while later. He was sitting upright in a chair in the hospital waiting room, which was by no means a comfortable way of sleeping. Proof of this was the knot in his back, and drool that had been dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.

He felt even more tired than before. It was as if instead of sleeping, he had been running laps, and the mere thought of doing that made him queasy. The Flame Alchemist blinked sleeping, brushing his bangs out of his face with a drowsy hand, and then the drool. _Why am I in a hospital?_ He thought, looking around. Then he remembered.

The one house that seemed unusual. The hidden basement. The assassin that leapt out of the shadows without a sound. He and Hawkeye nearly getting killed. Lifting the mask off the assassin and finding a person who was supposed to be dead. Driving said person to the hospital, hoping that he would not bleed to death for the second time. Waiting anxiously for the nurses to say he's okay. Calling Alphonse. The emotional damage taken from finding out that the Fullmetal Alchemist could not remember who either he or Alphonse was. Then, the sudden remembrance, and the odd flashing in his eyes. Being ordered out by a nurse. Being told by Alphonse to take a rest. Stumbling into the lobby area in an exhaustion-induced haze, collapsing on a chair, and falling to sleep almost instantly.

It all rushed back to Roy Mustang. He was instantly on his feet, but a young voice stopped him from rushing down the hallway to find out if his subordinate was alright.

"Colonel Mustang, they haven't said anything about Ed yet."

Roy Mustang turned to Alphonse. The younger Elric brother's shoulders were hunched, his head hanging. Mustang realized that he had been hiding his true feelings before, but now he allowed them to show. Mustang nodded slightly. "..How long has it been?"

"About four hours, sir. It's 3:00am." Al's voice was broken, hollow.

"Four hours. And there's been no word about his condition?"

"None."

Mustang glanced down the hallway. There was usually someone regularly reporting on the patient's condition. Especially if it were something serious, such as this case could be considered. To have nobody saying anything was odd to say in the least.

"Al, have you seen anyone go into that room at all?" He turned back to Al, watching the boy's brow furrow slightly.

"..No, I don't think so."

Roy Mustang had heard enough. He needed to know how the Fullmetal Alchemist was doing- after all, he'd seen the boy's dead body, seen it get buried six feet under the ground. But then found him, alive and fighting, about a week later. It made no sense. But nevertheless, he was happy that the young alchemist was alive, and he was not about to hear that he had died again.

He strode down the hall, hearing Alphonse jump up and run after him, slowing slighty by his side but occasionally breaking into a few trot strides to keep up.

Mustang stopped in front of the door. He lifted his hand, and tapped his knuckles against the door.

There was no answer. No sound, either. The only thing that greeted him was silence. An unrelenting quiet that wasn't broken by a single sound.

He tried the door a moment later. The door knob did not budge; it was locked.

Mustang grit his teeth, slipped his ignition gloves on, and snapped his fingers. A spark popped somewhere inside the doorknob, melting the lock.

Alphonse yelped. "Colonel, that wasn't necessary!" He squeaked.

His words fell on deaf ears. Mustang was not paying attention. He had heard something that he should have noticed before, something so plainly and obviously loud and blaring that he felt embarrassment at not noticing it before; it was silence. Normally, one would be able to hear the sound of machines monitoring vitals. The constant whirring, beeping- he should have heard it all, even from this distance, even from the other side of the door.

But there was nothing.

Mustang shouldered the door open. He slipped into the room, holding his gloved hand in front of him. But there was no enemy, at least, not one that could be seen. Still, the Flame Alchemist kept his guard up. The hospital cot was empty. The wires lay next the vital monitoring machines as if carelessly thrown aside. There was a draft, cool autumn air blowing gently into the room.

Al appeared by his side. Both stand side by side in a stunned silence, not quite comprehending what they were seeing. The room was deserted, and seemed to have been that way for a while, based on the crisp chill that tainted the air. It was deathly silent and motionless, the only exception being the pearly white window curtain swaying in the cool night air.

* * *

The silent streets of Central were bathed in shadows, the only light coming from the meager street lamps and the moon that was only half full. Occasionally, a cloud would drift across the moon, further darkening the city landscape. The cold, damp air was still, emitting the feeling of staleness and stagnancy.

Supposedly, there was once a killer that roamed these streets. He had a wife and two kids. He had a steady job, working as a photographer. He loved his job, and he adored his family even more.

One day, the man was assaulted. In his own defense, he used his pocket knife to stab the assaulter. He saw the blood explode from the wound, the dark crimson splatter everything around them. The man- he was fascinated. He watched as the assaulter's life faded slowly. He used his cameras and took pictures. He needed to capture this moment, to forever capture the beautiful, rich crimson blood. Once he had gotten enough pictures, he crouched down and closed his assaulter's eyes. Folded his hands over his chest. Took one more picture, then stood up and left, content with the idea that he had left with his assaulter merely asleep instead of dead. He was delirious behind the haze adrenaline and pure fascination.

The man returned home and showed the pictures to his wife. She was horrified. The man was upset that she did not agree that the pictures were beautiful. To show her the true beauty, he killed his older son. The man's wife sobbed as she held her dead son. He did not understand why she was upset. He figured it was because there was not of the beautiful, rich crimson color. He slayed the younger son, but all it brought was more tears. Then, he stabbed her, figuring that doing so would make her happy. It did. She stopped crying. Her cheeks were no longer flushed, and she stopped trembling. She was so peaceful.

The man arranged his wife and sons so that they were sitting together on the couch. Arms around eachother. Eyes closed and tranquil. Bathed in that beautiful, rich crimson. Smiling dazedly.

The man took many pictures that night.

He went to sleep, his camera beside him. When he woke up in the morning, he realized that the rest of his family was still asleep. He did not want to wake them, since they looked so peaceful.

Then he noticed something- The beautiful crimson. It had lost its color. It became dark, dark red, almost brown, and lost its shine. It was a terrible, disgusting color, lacking its luster. It did not paint his finger in the color when he touched it; it just cracked and fell apart, like a dead leaf. The man did not understand.

Then he did. He realized what he had done. He broke down, falling to his knees, face in his hands. He sobbed violently. His guilt drove him to madness, and in the next moment, he had a knife plunged in his chest. The same knife that he had murdered his family and his assaulter with.

The last thing the man saw as he fell forwards to the ground was that color. That beautiful, rich crimson.

That beautiful, rich crimson.

* * *

The morning sun rose above the buildings, warming the air. People were allowed to go back to work, the kids allowed to go to school again. Once more, the streets were busy, although tension was high in the air.

Colonel Mustang had contacted his subordinates and they were currently working hard to find their missing friend. Their moods were solemn, their work quick and determined. They could not allow Ed to escape their clutches again, especially in his current condition.

Al was working right alongside everyone else. Nobody questioned his presence; nobody would dare mention that Al was too young to be working on such a dangerous case, even if it was his brother they were looking for. Nobody was that cruel. They could not keep him in the dark about this, even if they knew that it would be safer.

They searched the building right next to the hospital, the one with the broken window directly across from the open hospital window. They could find no evidence whatsoever. It was as if whoever took Ed was a ghost.

It was either that, or Ed had left by himself. However, this was something Mustang and Al both agreed could not have been the case. First of all, Ed was in the middle of an intense migraine headache when they left him. Even if that had faded, they doubted he would have really gotten anywhere due to exhaustion. Secondly, Ed's automail was removed, and was still on the table next to the hospital cot when they got there. He wouldn't have been able to jump that far with only one leg and one arm, then get very far afterwards. It was obvious that someone had taken him.

They had a pretty good idea of who took him- Mr. Pierson, of course. But the question is, 'how'? How did he manage to infiltrate the hospital, jump out a window to the next building, and no one noticed a thing? There was at least one nurse when Roy left. Maybe the nurse left, and Pierson slipped in quietly and unnoticed and took Ed?

No. There had to be _someone_ who saw something.

Alphonse sifted through the clear glass shards, looking for and possible DNA samples that could be tested and linked to a suspect. There didn't seem to be anything- no blood, no strands of hair. Nothing. He dusted off piece after piece of glass, looking for fingerprints just in case. Again, it was in vain. Nothing.

The younger Elric stood up. He had looked through this evidence thoroughly. If there was something to be found, he would have found it by now. He figured it would be best if he reported to the Colonel now. He turned and walked off the scene, waving politely at the guard soldiers. He tried his best to hide his fatigue, masking it behind a veil of friendliness.

Al walked down the hallway of the building and down the stairs, finding Colonel Mustang in the lobby.

"Colonel, sir?"

Roy Mustang turned away from Riza, who he appeared to have been talking to, and looked at Al. Riza moved to the side slightly so she could see Al around the Colonel.

"Hey, Al. Find anything?" The words might have been friendly and casual, but Al could notice that he sounded exhausted and stressed. Even in the dim light, he could see the dark circles underneath his eyes, and the very unusual slouch of his back. Nevertheless, the look on his face was grim and determined, and Al's respect for the Colonel grew slightly. He was really trying to get the Fullmetal Alchemist back.

"That's the thing. I didn't find anything. There is absolutely no trace of any DNA whatsoever."

The Colonel's brow furrowed slightly. "Nothing, you say?" He murmured, most likely to himself.

Al nodded slightly in affirmation. "Nothing."

The moment Al said it out loud.. he got an idea, and if it was true, it would make things about ten times more complicated than they already were. And things were pretty complicated as is.

It was a long shot. Alphonse remembered the homunculi, the artificial humans with extreme regenerative abilities. Any body part that they lost would grow back right away.. And the leftover part disintegrated immediately. This went for blood as well.

What if they were dealing with a homunculus?

A human jumping from ten feet and crashing through and window with the gravitational force of not only himself but of another person as well should have caused the glass to cut through whatever clothes they were wearing and break the skin. If that had happened, there'd be some, if only a small amount, blood smeared on the sharp points of the glass.

But there wasn't any blood at all. What if it had been there, but disintegrated shortly afterwards? It would explain the lack of blood.

Al realized that the Colonel was staring at him. He realized he must have zoned out, thinking about his homunculus theory. He figured he'd better start explaining.

"Colonel, do you know what a homunculus is?" He started off after a moment.

The Colonel paused. "An artificial human created by alchemy, right? Supposedly immortal. But, what does a homunculus have to do with anything?" He stared at Alphonse, mild curiosity playing on his face.

"Yeah, that's right- they're artificial humans with extreme regenerative abilities. They can take fatal hits over and over, but they heal right away." Alphonse paused. "The shattered glass was completely clean, not even a trace of any kind of DNA. Anything taking a hit like that against shattered glass should have gotten at least a few cuts, which would have left blood on the glass." He stopped for a moment, waiting to see if the Colonel would understand what he was explaining here.

The Colonel stared at Alphonse. "That's true. However, I still don't understand what any of this has to do with a homunculus."

Alphonse might have smirked if the situation allowed him to. "Everything. Any body part a homunculus loses will disintegrate immediately after. This goes for blood as well. Maybe the glass did cut into Ed's kidnapper, but the blood that got on the glass disintegrated right after. It is the only logical explanation for there being no DNA samples whatsoever."

Colonel Mustang paused for a moment, contemplating what Al had said. "You're right. That would also explain how the kidnapper managed to run off right after jumping from ten feet through a window. That kind of hit should have broken a leg, or an ankle. Maybe it did, but it healed right away, and he was able to get away quickly." He mused. He turned to Lieutenant Hawkeye. "Find out more about each homunculus. We need to determine a prime suspect among them." He ordered.

Hawkeye nodded swiftly. "Yessir," She said, turning on her heels and walking fast towards the lobby door, presumably to the car to head over to Central Command. Mustang watched Hawkeye leave, and when she was out of sight, he turned back to Al.

"Who do you think is the culprit, out of the homunculi?" The Flame Alchemist asked after a slight pause.

Al paused. "Who do I think? I'm not really sure, actually. I didn't really think about it."

Mustang studied Al for a couple seconds, then turned away. "Fair enough. Good luck in your search, and remember to take a break at some point."

Alphonse nodded. "Yeah. Of course." He paused, watching as the Colonel walked away.

"We are going to find Ed, right?"

Roy Mustang stopped. He turned his head to gaze over his shoulder. Alphonse was eerily reminded of when he had seen Ed standing in the windowsill- it was the exact same stance.

"We'll do everything we can. I don't intend on letting them take away my subordinate so easily. And I don't think Ed will give up either; he wouldn't leave you on your own, right?" With that, he turned away, and continued walking.

"I hope you're right, sir," Alphonse murmured softly to himself. "I hope you're right."

* * *

**I bet you're all wondering what happened to Ed! Well, I don't intend on writing about Ed's POV again until the very end, so too bad! :] **

**Leave your reviews please! :D**


	8. Author's Note

**Sorry guys, but I'm discontinuing this!**

**I've completely lost motivation for this and I don't have any real want to finish this.**

**If anyone wants to, they can adopt this and write out their ending, or ask me what I had planned and then write that out if they chose to. [it's a pretty harsh ending, so I don't expect anyone to really agree to my version of the ending.]**

**I'm really really sorry, but I simply cannot write more. Too much school work and other writing to worry about. That, and I don't like this fanfic almost to the point of detesting it. So, please please please ask me if you'd like to adopt it. There's not much more to write [maybe 3-4 more chapters?] and I'm sure that a few other readers would appreciate it as well.**

**Thanks for reading, everyone! I loved reading every single review, all of you guys are so amazing!**

**~Aereo**


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